Hinge structure



March 24, 1970 J, FLEcH ETAL 3,501,799

HINGE STRUCTURE Filed July 21, 1967 I INVENTORS GEORGE J. F LECK KENNETH J. DAHLSTROM w MAW,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,501,799 HINGE STRUCTURE George J. Flech, White Bear Lake, Minn., and Kenneth J. Dahlstrom, St. Croix Falls, Wis., assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 21, 1967, Ser. No. 655,175 Int. Cl. E0511 7/04, 7/12 US. Cl. 16-129 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hinge structure for hingedly mounting a movable member such as a lid, door or the like on a base member having hinge means on which the movable member is movably mounted, receiving means on the base member for releasably receiving and retaining the hinge means in a predetermined fixed position with respect to the base member so that the movable member will be thusly positioned with respect to the base member and an adjusting device for adjusting the position of either the receiving means or the hinge means to adjust this predetermined fixed position of the movable member with respect to the base member when such adjusting is desired.

In Swanson et a1. Patent 3,233,276, assigned to the same assignee as the present application, there is disclosed and claimed a counterbalance structure for a movable member such as the specifically disclosed top opening lid on a food freezer. As one feature of the invention of this prior patent the movable member or lid can be easily removed when desired for moving the freezer or similar structure to a different location or for service or other purpose. The invention of the present application permits even more ready removal of the movable member or lid and in addition insures that when the lid is replaced it will be in the same relative position to the base member on which it is mounted such as the main body of the freezer of the specific embodiment of the above patent. This is important particularly in freezers as the sealing means that prevents excessive leakage around the lid is then always in proper adjustment even if the lid has been removed and replaced.

In addition, the hinge structure of this invention not only permits ready removal and replacement of the lid or other movable member in the same relative position each time but also provides for adjustment of the movable member or lid when such is desired.

Certain embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a top opening food freezer having a hinge structure embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view enlarged taken substantially along line 22 of FIGURE 1 and with the lid in raised position and illustrating one embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to the lower portion of FIGURE 2 and illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 and illustrating still another embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 1-3, the food freezer is provided with an upwardly opening body portion 11 and a top lid 12 constituting a movable member movably mounted on the body or base member 11. The lid 12 uses a hinge structure that is in general similar to that disclosed in the above Swanson et al. patent. This hinge structure comprises a hinge means 13 which as ice shown is provided with a downwardly projecting plug or stem 14 that is normally held in a receiving means 15 or socket member within the base member or body 11. The lid 12 end of the hinge means 13 is rotatably held within the lid 12 by a bracket 16 of the type disclosed in greater detail in the above Swanson et a1. patent.

There will, of course, be a pair of hinge means 13 in cooperating receiving means 15 with one being at each end of the freezer 10. As the plug or stem 14 is received into the socket member 15 the lid 12 will be securely mounted on the body 11 so that the lid can be opened and closed as desired and when closed a seal will be provided by the sealing gasket 17. Then, when it is de sired to remove the lid 12 for any reason such as for servicing or for moving the freezer to a different location it is merely necessary to lift the hinge means plugs 14 from the sockets 15. When the lid is again installed it is merely necessary to insert the plugs 14 back into the sockets. Furthermore, becausethe plugs 14 always assume the same relative position with respect to the sockets 15 the lid 12 will always be returned to the same relative position with respect to the body portion or base member.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 1-3 each socket member 15 is tightly held in its predetermined position by means of a clevis 18 and a clamping bolt 19, as described in greater detail in the above Swanson et al. patent. If for any reason it is desired to adjust the position of the lid 12 with respect to the body portion 11, such as to compensate for wear in the gasket 17, for accommodating a new gasket of a different size or for any other reason it is merely necessary to loosen the bolt 19 and adjust the position of the socket member 15 with respect to the freezer body 11.

FIGURE 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein the socket member may be adjusted with respect to the freezer body 11. In this embodiment the cylindrical outer surface of the socket 115 is threaded as indicated at 20 and is engaged by a threaded nut 21 that is welded to the internal frame member 22 as indicated at 23. The threaded socket 115 may be rotated to adjust the position of the socket with respect to the body 11 which will of course adjust the position of the lid 12 to the body.

Still another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 5. Here the socket 215 is in the form of a vertical cylinder open at both ends and the plug or stem 214 is threaded and extends downwardly through the socket 215 when installed as shown in FIGURE 5. Then the stem 214 carries a nut 24 which rests on the top of the frame member 222 when the lid is installed to hold the hinge means 213 in predetermined position relative to the body portion 211.

In each of these embodiments the hinge means 13 can be easily removed from the base member or body portion 11, as desired, and then returned to the same relative position. Furthermore, in each of these the relative position can be adjusted as desired to adjust the position of either the receiving means in the embodiments of FIGURES 1-3 and 4 or the hinge means as shown in the embodiment of FIGURE 5.

Having described our invention as related to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is our intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claim.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A hinge structure for hingedly mounting a movable member on a base member, comprising: hinge means on which said movable member is movably mounted; re-' 3 4 ceiving means on said base member for releasably receiv- References Cited ing and retaining said hinge means in a predetermined UNITED STATES PATENTS fixed position with respectto said base member, said hinge means and said receiving means including cooper- 3,313,064 4/1967 Klrby 16134 ating plug and socket members with said plug member 5 3,323,163 6/1967 Gqodnow 16-134 3,325,942 6/1967 Be arno 16132 on said hinge means and said socket member on said base member; and adjusting means for adjusting the position of said socket member with respect to said base BOBBY Pnmary Exammer member. D. L. TROUTMAN, AssistantExaminer 22 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 501, 799 Dated March 24, 1970 Inventor(s) George J. Fleck et al It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The spelling of the first inventor's name in the headings on the sheet of drawings and in Column 1 of the patent should be Fleck SIGNED AND SEALED Ave 1 am EM -E mm E. sammm. .m. Anesting Gem-159mm of Pat ents 

